The Legend of the Arabian Horse:
I was intrigued with this legend and enamored by the grandeur of the Arabian horse. To honor this most magnificent creature and the lore, legend, and high regard that is held in the hearts and minds of those who love and esteem, this best of breed, "The Legend of the Arabian Horse" was created.
Mike Bolen, a renowned artist, painted the original oil painting portraying the magnificent Arabian being created by the hand of God.
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The Fighting of Fire:
In the mid fifties, I was a Philadelphia Firefighter stationed at Engine Co. 47. One night while on watch I saw flames flickering into the dimly lit firehouse. I looked out the station window and saw that a house across the street was on fire. I hit the fire bell and hollered "HIKE OUT". Grabbing a ladder, I ran across the street. I threw the ladder over the back fence of the house and climbed into the yard.
"Poetry
is the creation of words against the backdrop
of the human heart."
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Once in the yard, I raised the ladder and smashed it through the back window. Smoke came bellowing out of the window as I climbed into the second floor bedroom. In one of the smoked filled rooms I heard children screaming. Groping in the smoke as the fire began rising to the second floor, I finally found the children and led them down the ladder to safety. By the time the children were rescued, the engine and pumper were in front of the building and firemen began pouring water into the fire engulfed home.
That night, almost fifty years ago, our fire company, like so many before and after us, saved both lives and property.
When we got back to the firehouse, I wrote "THE FIGHTING OF FIRE."
Judy Carr, an excellent portrait artist captures the essence of the poem with her great portrayal of a determined firefighter doing his job.
Enjoy this heroic adventure!
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The Grand Canyon Epic:
Twenty five years ago the awe, immensity, and primal beauty of the Grand Canyon inspired me to begin writing this poem. At that time, I was not able to complete The Grand Canyon Epic. For many years I longed to come back to the canyon. Instead, work and family took priority. Fortunately, I was able to get onboard a river trip. I traveled the Colorado River in a dory, the same type of craft that Major John Wesley Powell used when he and his crew first navigated the river. Inspired and motivated, I finally finished the poem in the year 2001. By uniting the imaginative spirit of a poem with the visible power of a painting, I was able to forge a unique creation depicting the raw, primal formation of the Grand Canyon. While the completion of The Grand Canyon Epic took a quarter of a century, it's but a passing moment compared to the span of time needed to shape the awesome canyon into its present form.
Take a moment of your own and experience this feat of nature that we call the Grand Canyon and it's mighty river, the Colorado.
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The Saga of the Titanic:
A member of the Titanic Society suggested that I commemorate the Titanic story. The Saga of the Titanic tells in poetry and shows in painting art the exciting but tragic story of the Titanic from its beginning to its fatal end. It was quite a challenge to depict the essence of this historic event in painting and poetry art. But the tragic, heroic and intriguing story was so compelling that the creative spirits guided me in this accomplishment. It is my hope that the saga will serve as an unforgettable reminder that is highlighted in the last stanza of the poem which sings:
Thus the "Saga of the Titanic" has lessons to teach:
The achievements of men have limited reach,
For when the love of money steers men's goals,
From the depth of the sea can be heard the poor souls
Who cry in whispers from their watery graves,
"If not for arrogance and greed, we could have been saved."
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